Analysis of medical aid to Croatian Army soldiers wounded at the front line.
OBJECTIVE
Analysis of medical aid to Croatian Army soldiers at the front lines.


METHODS
This investigation concerned 115 severely wounded Croatian soldiers (males, median age 29 years, range 17-57 years) at three rehabilitation institutions. All had been wounded at the front line by various explosive devices or bullets. In the investigation, semi-structured clinical interviews were used.


RESULTS
First aid was provided to 47 soldiers (40.9%) within 15 minutes and to 44 soldiers (38.3%) within 1 hour. First aid was either self-administered or given by fellow combatants in 55 cases (47.8%), by physicians in 37 cases (23.2%), and by medical technicians and orderlies in 21 cases (18.2%). The basic procedures of medical aid were hemostasis, hemodynamic substitution, immobilization, and analgesia. First surgical operations were performed at health stations on 4 soldiers (3.5%), at war hospitals on 43 soldiers (37.4%), and at evacuation hospitals on 68 soldiers (59.1%).


CONCLUSIONS
First aid either self-administered or provided by fellow combatants is the most important procedure at the front lines before medical aid is administered.
Janković
S
S
Croatian Army Medical Corps Headquarters (CAMCH) for North and Central Dalmatia, Croatia.
Dodig
G
G
Biocić
M
M
Stivicević
V
V
Stajner
I
I
Primorac
D
D
D000328:Adult; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D017523:Croatia; D005392:First Aid; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration; D008889:Military Personnel; D013997:Time Factors; D014857:Warfare; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*